Allison Hanes: Valérie Plante’s winning streak continues

Article content

Valérie Plante was never supposed to win the first time she ran for Montreal city council, but she beat veteran Louise Harel, a giant of Quebec politics.

Article content

Plante was not predicted to win the leadership of Projet Montréal a few years later, but he eliminated leader Guillaume Lavoie.

Plante was not expected to be the most popular among incumbent Denis Coderre in 2017, but she scored a historic victory, becoming the first woman in the Montreal mayoral election.

Plante was not assured of re-election for a second term as a mairesse, facing a tough revenge against Coderre and having to fend off the challenge of charismatic former Projet candidate Balarama Holness, who founded his own party to offer voters a new alternative.

But Plante’s winning streak continued on Sunday. As the ballots arrived, he jumped to the front early. And within an hour, it became increasingly clear that he had achieved a decisive victory, garnering more than 50 percent of the vote.

Article content

Coderre never managed to catch up with his leadership, falling below 40 percent. Meanwhile, Holness, leader of the upstart Montreal Movement, was hovering around 7 percent support throughout the night. It’s worth noting that even Coderre and Holness combined couldn’t match Plante’s total.

Critics who continue to underestimate Plante, including rivals, former allies and even some members of her own party, must finally take her seriously. Clearly, he has a winning formula with his trademark laugh, positive message, and ambitious political agenda.

Plante’s triumph was absolute. Projet Montréal maintained a majority on the council. He increased his percentage of the popular vote. Key allies, such as Laurence Lavigne-Lalonde in Villeray – St-Michel – Parc-Extension and Dominique Ollivier in Rosemont – La Petite Patrie won their seats comfortably, while sworn enemies, such as Sue Montgomery in Côte-des-Neiges – Notre-Dame- de-Grâce was defeated. He made breakthroughs in districts like Verdun, although star candidates like Will Prosper in Montreal North lost.

Article content

If his choice seemed like a long shot the first time, this time it wasn’t child’s play either.

After all, Plante had a record, as well as the association with a global pandemic that many Montreal residents want to put in their rearview mirror. Despite his leadership during a crisis over which he had no control, there was at times a feeling that voters also wanted to leave Plante behind them.

There were times when Coderre was more popular than Plante in opinion polls, and he hadn’t even entered the race yet. Coderre certainly seemed like the man who could restore Montreal to its arrogance. Perhaps nostalgia for the old days before the pandemic would reverse his luck, propelling Coderre back to office as he toppled Plante after a stint?

Article content

For those who love to hate Plante, and those who simply never raved about her, Coderre’s bid for a second chance was a welcome development.

After their return was announced amid much fanfare in the spring, Coderre and Plante ran side by side for much of the campaign. But he never seemed to gain momentum over the course of this long and drawn out fight.

Although he professed himself a changed man, the traces of the grandiose old Coderre resurfaced in the election campaign. Policies proposed and quickly reversed.

Most disturbing was his initial refusal, down the stretch, to reveal his business dealings in the private sector while out of public office. While it was perfectly within his right to work as a consultant, trying to deny Montréal’s the right to know who he had worked for lacked transparency. And when he finally relented, it was clear that he would face many potential conflicts of interest.

Article content

Holness shook off what was supposed to be a grudge fight between Plante and Coderre by forming a new party and offering a third option. By taking bold stances on issues and making Montréal’s of diverse backgrounds feel included in their own city, he transformed the contest. If the public was inspired by his message, they were not tempted enough to give him the keys to the mayor’s office.

The only shadow on the result was the low turnout.

Turnout in Sunday’s vote to elect the next mayor, city council and city representatives was a paltry 36 percent at 6 p.m. That was despite two full days of voting, and over a weekend, no less.

This appears to be a new low for the recent elections. Only 42 percent turned out in 2017 when Plante became the first female mayor and that was a decline from 43 percent in 2013 when Coderre took office promising to clean up the stench of corruption in the city after a series of scandals.

Article content

It is a sad comment on the health of municipal democracy that Montréal’s have so little interest in the level of government closest to them, the one they are likely to complain the most about and the one that has the greatest impact on their daily lives.

Most Montréal’s who left the decision to a minority of their fellow citizens must remember that they neglected their democratic duty if they are tempted to complain about the direction the city will take in the next four years.

Plante now has an even stronger mandate to continue what it started with its green and sustainable city building efforts. He has the backing of Montréal residents to get his agenda back on track after the pandemic derailed his plans. And from the margin of victory, he even has tacit permission to be bolder, go faster and go further in his vision of Montreal.

[email protected]